1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a mechanism for mounting a head as means for forming an image on a recording medium by ejecting an ink. More specifically, the invention relates to a recording apparatus having a head installation mechanism which is improved both in installation of a signal transmitting portion for transmitting a recording signal to a head and in installation of the head per se.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of recording systems recently attracting attention is an ink-jet recording system. The ink-jet recording system is a non-impact type recording system and records input information, such as characters, images or so forth, by directly adhering ink (forming dot) on a recording medium (paper, cloth, plastic sheet and so forth)
The recording apparatus having such ink-jet type recording head (ink-jet recording head) is attracting attention as the recording system which satisfies demands for high speed recording, high resolution, high image quality, low noise and so forth. The ink-jet type recording apparatus has thus been employed as printers for copy machines, facsimiles, printers, word processors, output terminals of work stations and so forth, handy or portable printers to be employed in personal computers, host computers, optical disk systems, video systems and so forth.
Particularly, in the recent years, in viewpoint of down-sizing, capability of full-color printing and effective use of disposable material, there have been proposed a recording apparatus having a construction, in which a recording head and an irk tank storing ink to be supplied to the recording head are mounted on a carriage.
For example, when an ink-jet cartridge, in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrally constructed is installed on the carriage, it becomes necessary to achieve both of positioning (contact) of a signal transmitting portion for transmitting a recording signal to the recording head and accurate positioning of the ink-jet cartridge per se.
One example of installation structure of ink-jet cartridge on the carriage aha been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,018. In the above-identified U.S. Patent, there is disclosed a construction permitting positioning of the ink-jet cartridge per se and establishing contact of the signal transmitting portion, simultaneously in one action, by utilizing engagement between a pair of the ink-jet cartridge in the vicinity of the recording head and a part of carriage, serving as a fulcrum.
However, in the construction where positioning of the ink-jet cartridge and establishing contact of the signal transmitting portion are performed simultaneously, it is possible to make the contact at the signal transmitting portion insufficient due to restriction by the positioning of the ink-jet cartridge, or vice-versa. Therefore, quite high accuracy in positioning of both is required.
Therefore, there has also been proposed a construction to perform positioning of the ink-jet cartridge and establishing of contact of the signal transmitting portion separately. However, at the position where both of the ink-jet cartridge and the signal transmitting portion are positioned, the acting forces may interface to each other to cause degradation of reliability particularly on the contact of the signal transmitting portion.
Solution for the problems set forth above has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,342. In the disclosed invention, when the positioning of the ink-jet cartridge is to be performed following establishing of contact of the signal transmitting portion, a supporting condition of the signal transmitting portion at the apparatus side is made free with maintaining contact condition at the signal transmitting portion to prevent mutual interface of the acting force to be exerted for positioning of the ink-jet cartridge.
As set forth above, the foregoing positioning structure is applied for the ink-jet cartridge, in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated. However, in recent years, there has been proposed a construction to make the ink tank exchangeable with respect to the recording head. In the cartridge which permits exchanging of the ink tank with respect to the recording head, a force may act on the recording head which is positioned and fixed in place upon removal and/or installation of the ink tank during exchanging operation. The force generated upon exchanging of the ink tank may affect the position of the recording head and/or the contacting condition of the signal transmitting portion to potentially cause degradation of printing performance.